Beyond Cash Transfers: Assessing The Kanyashree Prakalpa In West Bengal 

CARE Schools are free, half-public, half-private institutions that provide lessons in both Urdu and English. The schools teach both boys and girls, sometimes in co-ed classes, to promote gender equality and provide girls with equal opportunities in their education and increase their job prospects.

Amidst Taliban restrictions on girls’ education, several people are looking for alternative options to further their education. One solution includes the University of the People, a free, online U.S.-accredited university. The virtual university helps make education more accessible and currently has 100,000 participating students worldwide.

The Sebastian Indian Social Projects (SISP) works with socio-economically disadvantaged communities, providing social services like healthcare and employment assistance with a primary focus on educating youth. SISP has focused on educating the local female population, which has helped empower them economically and led to several women receiving jobs outside of their village. SISP has also educated several students who were forced to drop out of traditional school and provides supplementary activities along with their standard education, such as skating and coding clubs.

The Women Centre for Continuing Education provides adult education and vocational training to women who have not completed their schooling, often because of economic constraints and cultural norms that prioritize education for boys more than girls. The courses are offered at no cost, though students must still pay for transportation, supplies, and other expenses.

Pathways to Choice es un programa implementado entre 2018 y 2020 en 18 comunidades del norte de Nigeria que combinó clubes educativos para adolescentes, formación en habilidades sociales y trabajo con líderes comunitarios y religiosos para lograr que el 79% de las participantes no contrajeran matrimonio durante el periodo estudiado (frente al 14% en comunidades sin el programa) y aumentando la asistencia escolar en 70 puntos porcentuales.

SeaSisters offers free swim and surf lessons to local women and girls, challenging social norms and fear that traditionally keep them from enjoying the ocean. The group has since trained 150 participants, helping them overcome their fears and find a newfound sense of freedom.

Schools in Adamawa State are increasing the number of female teachers, which is inherently increasing the number of female students attending school. Previously, over 50% of girls in the area had not been in school, or dropped out, but with the increase of female teachers, the number of girls in school has dramatically increased.

Women Rising for Africa is training women to become boda boda taxi drivers, teaching them the necessary skills to enter the male-dominated industry and gain financial independence. The organization enrolls the women in defensive riding, road safety, self-defence, financial literacy and first-aid classes to equip them when entering the business. Since 2022, the group has trained 90 women riders.

In Niger, an initiative challenging menstrual stigma is promoting knowledge and hygiene through community engagement and mentorship. Since 2019, the foundation has reached over 20 schools, 35 communities, more than 3,000 women and girls.

Fund a Mom gives 40 single mothers in Jaipur, India, $60 a month with no strings attached. The guaranteed income program helps them cover necessary expenses giving them the breathing room to find paid employment.